Lazell celebrates Wimbedon glory

Warwick School’s Harry Lazell struggled to contain his delight after lifting a trophy on the famous grass courts of Wimbledon.

The 13-year-old was competing in the HSBC Road to Wimbledon National 14 & Under Challenge - the UK’s largest grass court tournament, involving over 10,000 youngsters.

And after triumphing at the regional finals, Lazell can now lay claim to being one of the best in the country in his age category after winning last week’s National doubles finals with Joel Pierleoni at the iconic venue.

Not only did the pair manage to beat Louis Davey and Alexander Knox-Jones in Saturday’s final, Lazell was also watched closely by former British number one Tim Henman.

And impressing on the court, Lazell admitted the experience had been one of the highlights of his summer.

“It was a very exciting match,” said Lazell. “We started well but lost intensity. We raised the level in the tie-break and were able to get back into the match.

“It’s been a great week, it’s been a good opportunity to play on grass because I haven’t done that before.

“It’s quite surreal, knowing the best players in the world have trained here before and I’ve played on the same courts as them.

“I’m looking forward to playing this next year and I’ve got some grass tournaments coming up so hopefully I’ll do well in those because I feel comfortable on the surface now.

“I never imagined I’d make it to the final, but I’m excited to have got the win.”

HSBC is the Official Banking Partner of The Championships and is committed to supporting grassroots tennis, helping to inspire the next generation of Wimbledon stars through the HSBC Road to Wimbledon 14 & Under Challenge. @HSBC_sport